2023 class: Who will see an increase in productivity?

<p>During the 2020-21 season, people will see some, if not a lot, of prospects from the 2023 class play a lot of minutes at the varsity level.</p> <p>Last season, some of the players in the class were thrown in the fire early and had to swim to shore. Luckily, all of the players in the class I saw perform played with a lot of heart and showed flashes of what’s possibly next.</p> <p>On the offensive end, I expect to see a lot of progression from this class since it features guards that are capable of scoring from different areas on the floor. This class also features a handful of bigs with high upside.</p> <p>Here are five players that should see an increase in productivity.</p> <p><strong>Jordan</strong> <strong>Frison</strong>, <strong>Overton</strong>: Frison is only 5-foot-10, but he plays bigger than his height. Frison was ready to play varsity before his freshman season started. He’s one of the best shooters in the class. Frison shoots every shot with confidence, like he knows each shot is going to fall. Frison is coming off a freshman season averaging 11 points per game for the Wolverines. He’s going to a lot of nice looks, and he’s going to take advantage of those opportunities.</p> <p>In Frison’s sophomore season, a spike in points per game, somewhere around 16.5 points, should be feasible for the sniper.</p> <p><strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Cain</strong>, <strong>Knoxville</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong>: The Fighting Irish will need a solid third scoring option to go alongside point guard [player_tooltip player_id="996904" first="Brian" last="Edwards Jr"]. and shooting guard Pres Patterson. Cain would make a great third option. He can create his own shot. Cain moves well without the ball and can make shots from 3-point range. Last season, Cain averaged 7.4 points per game on 53.4 percent shooting from the field. Knoxville Catholic lost its second-leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="546260" first="Akeem" last="Odusipe"] to graduation, so the Fighting Irish will need to fill his offensive production. Cain can help. He should average between 10-13 points per game next season and help the Fighting Irish go after a second Division II-AA state title.</p> <p><strong>Javar</strong> <strong>Daniel</strong>, <strong>Arlington</strong>: Daniel has high upside, which could have him leading the way as the best post player in the state if he continues to progress. The 6-8 power forward showed flashes last season of being a good rim protector. His post moves aren’t bad, but improvement in that area will help, along with developing a mid-range jump shot. Hopefully, he took advantage of the dead AAU season. As a freshman, Daniel averaged 8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game for a Tigers team that was one win away from a state tournament appearance. I’m going to predict that Daniel takes the next step in 2020 and be a walking double-double.</p> <p><strong>Alex</strong> <strong>Hyder</strong>, <strong>Cleveland</strong>: Hyder dressed for every varsity game last season, but had a chance to showcase his skills on the freshmen/junior varsity teams. The 6-2 guard averaged 6.3 points per game on both teams that finished 25-1. The Blue Raiders will have depth in 2020, and Hyder will be in the rotation. It’s too early to say he’s going to average double-digits, only because of the depth Cleveland has. But he will get opportunities. Hyder should see a scoring average of 8 points per game.</p> <p><strong>Judah</strong> <strong>Sault</strong>, <strong>Cleveland</strong>: Sault was part of the freshmen/junior varsity teams that were a force all last season. The 6-4 small forward averaged 9.5 points per game. Like Hyder and the rest of the 2023 class, Sault will be in the rotation on the varsity team. He provides solid depth, which proves to be vital come postseason time. I feel there will be an offensive balance on this season’s Blue Raiders team. Sault is another young, promising player that should average at least 8 points a game.</p>